HE ALLEGEDLY TOLD PEOPLE HIS FAMILY NAME WOULD PROTECT HIM. NOW HE'S ARRESTED. AND INVESTIGATORS SAY THERE ARE MORE VICTIMS OUT THERE. THE KELLY "MARIAH" LITTLE CASE.
This story out of Onalaska, Texas has been flying under the radar and I think it deserves a lot more attention than it's getting right now.
On May 23rd, 2026, around noon, deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office responded to a home in the Onalaska area after a 911 call came in reporting that a woman was having a seizure. When first responders arrived, they found 31-year-old Kelly Taylor Mariah Little, who went by "Mariah" in critical condition. She was airlifted by Life Flight to a hospital in Conroe, Texas. She died the following morning at around 8:30 a.m.
At first glance this looked like a tragic medical emergency. But something about the scene made investigators uneasy enough to immediately open a criminal investigation into what happened inside that home before 911 was called.
Mariah's boyfriend was at the residence, cooperated with investigators, and was interviewed. Children who had been in the home were safely released to Mariah's family. The sheriff's office put out a statement noting there was no evidence the boyfriend had fled or posed a danger to the community, trying to get ahead of the rumors already spreading online.
Then witnesses started coming forward. Multiple people contacted law enforcement with information and evidence that shifted the entire focus of the investigation toward a 36-year-old man named Cody Allen Laviolette.
On July 10th, 2026, Laviolette was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, and unlawful restraint, a third-degree felony. Investigators have not yet charged him in connection with Mariah's death, but they have also not ruled it out. The investigation into her death remains active.
Here is where it gets even more disturbing. Since Laviolette's arrest, several other women have contacted law enforcement to report previous encounters involving him. Investigators believe there may be additional victims or witnesses out there who have information but are too scared to come forward. And here is why. Investigators allege that Laviolette told people he was protected by his family name and influence within the Onalaska community and that those claims may have been used to intimidate people into staying quiet. Those allegations have not been proven in court.
There was also a separate arrest connected to this case. Cody's mother, Patty Laviolette, was charged with manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, a state jail felony. That case is separate from the investigation into Mariah's death.
If you know anything about Cody Allen Laviolette, witnessed anything involving him, believe you may have been a victim, or have any information related to Mariah Little's death, please contact Craig Finegan or Kayla Hemperly at the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 936-327-6810.
Mariah Little was 31 years old.
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